Gaming industry mourns death of TAB-Austria boss

Gaming industry mourns death of TAB-Austria boss

Siegfried Dattl, Jr., who steered TAB-Austria to become one of the leading manufacturers of touchscreen games and specialist cabinets for sports betting, has succumbed to a health problem. He was 51.

Gaming industry mourns death of TAB-Austria bossiNTERGAME reported that Dattl joined his creator last Friday, surrounded by his loving family inside their home in Ansfelden, in Upper Austria. Dattl had been battling his poor health for quite some time now, until last week.

Family, friends in the gambling industry, and TAB workers all mourned the untimely demise of Dattl. They said the news of Dattl’s death shocked everyone.

Many credited Dattl as a visionary who championed touchscreen games and other products such as the Silverball terminal, the Maxfire digital juke box and the Fun4Four upright four-player gambling game for amusement only.

He took the helm of TAB-Austria from his father Siegfried, who started the company 50 years ago, and led the company for 20 years. Dattl oversaw the development of the company’s South African gaming arm and handled series of contracts to supply specialist sports-betting cabinets.

TAB products were mostly exported to UK and Spain, as well as to a number of other markets. Dattl Jr. also made it possible for the company to carry one of the largest and most prolific product ranges in the whole industry.

InterGame partners David Snook and Christine Butterworth described Dattl – fondly called Sigi by family, close friends, and relatives – as “enormously respected throughout the international market.”

“He was a good businessman and a gentleman in everything he did, very much in keeping with the entire Dattl family,” Snook and Butterworth said, according to the news report. “We are very shocked and join with so many others in the industry in offering our sincere condolences to the Dattl family.”

Dattl was survived by his parents Annemarie and Siegfrid, and his sister Elisabeth Puehringer.